The wild garlic mustard plant is safe to eat and produces tasty table fare. (Photo by Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley)
March 20, 2025
By Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
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If you’re unsure about eating wild edibles , raw and whole, pesto is a great treatment for various green herbs. Most people are familiar with pesto, and it’s so easy to add to just about anything: Toss it with warm pasta, serve it with bruschetta, use it as a spread in sandwiches, or drizzle it over pizza, fish or savory baked goods … You can also thin out pesto with a bit of vinegar to make a marinade for shrimp or chicken. Vibrant, beautifully green and also delicious, pesto is a great vehicle to introduce yourself and others to eating the abundant garlic mustard plant.
Native to Europe, naturalists believe garlic mustard was first introduced to the Americas for medicinal and food purposes. Now, it is regarded as one of the most destructive invasive plant species in the U.S. Garlic mustard can quickly take over forest floors, outcompeting native vegetation and is difficult to eradicate once established. Common methods to control garlic mustard are burning and spraying, but few people actually eat them. Chances are, you have probably already noticed garlic mustard growing in your neck of the woods. While this annoying plant is difficult to kill, it’s very delicious. The whole plant is edible and is also high in vitamin C.
I think garlic mustard is a nice alternative to greens like arugula or watercress, with its slightly garlicky, but mostly mustard-y, peppery taste. It can be used in a variety of dishes raw or cooked: Add garlic mustard to a salad, tuck it inside sandwiches or use it in place of spinach in your favorite breakfast egg dishes. You can also lightly sauté it with some olive oil or butter to make a side dish. If you find garlic mustard too bitter, try adding a dash of sugar and lemon juice or vinegar to balance out the bitterness.
When foraging, I’ve read that it is best to harvest garlic mustard in the spring when leaves are young and mild. Once warm weather arrives, leaves tend to become too bitter. To read more about identifying and using garlic mustard, check out this post by The Foraged Foodie .
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Note on wild edibles: Always make sure to positively identify wild plants before consuming. When eating a wild edible for the first time, do not gorge on it, regardless of how good it tastes. Eat a little, then wait a bit to make sure that you experience no adverse effects. Some people may be allergic, while others will be able to eat wild edibles with no problems.
Let’s look at how to make this flavorful wild garlic mustard pesto recipe.
Wild Garlic Mustard Pesto Tossing pasta with the wild garlic mustard pesto creates a dish the whole family will enjoy. (Photo by Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley) Serves: 1 1/2 to 2 cups of pesto Cook time: 20 minutes
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Ingredients:
6 cups of young wild garlic mustard leaves 3 cloves of garlic 1/3 cup of shelled pistachio nuts 1/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra 3/4 teaspoon of sugar 3/4 to 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil Salt and pepper, to taste Directions:
Wash garlic mustard leaves thoroughly. If using older plants, trim off woody stems. Allow leaves to drip dry in a colander. In a food processor, pulse garlic, pistachios and grated Parmesan cheese until coarsely crushed. Next add wild garlic mustard leaves and pulse until you can get the mixture as finely chopped as possible, stopping periodically to push down leaves sticking to the sides of the food processor. (Add the garlic mustard in batches if your food processor is too small.) Next, add olive oil in a steady stream while you work the food processor on low, allowing ingredients to emulsify into a paste. Add or detract oil as necessary, depending on how you like the consistency of your pesto. Finally, add lemon juice and sugar. Season to taste with salt and pepper and pulse once more. Store pesto in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze leftovers for later use. To make pesto pasta, like in the photo, toss pesto with freshly cooked al dente pasta in a pan over low heat until warmed through and fully incorporated. Add reserved pasta cooking liquid to thin out the pesto and create a sauce. Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice and/or lemon zest. Serve pasta with grated Parmesan cheese on top.
